Never Far from Home

SC Megale joined the show for a wonderful take on life. We dive into stories about her brief, but poignant, memories on the ice, and how so much of her love of adventure, sports, and everything in between, stemmed from her family. She tells of the schooling she has pursued, and the tales she has written herself. And of course, we dive into one of her works: "Hockey's Hidden Gods." This is a book a...

Kim McCullough was kind enough to spend an evening regaling me with a part of her tale, and we hope to link up again soon to finsh what we started. We dive into her upbringing in the Toronto area, and how she was a multi-sport athlete. Eventually, when the timing lined up, she found hockey and never looked back. Her passion to push herself catapulted her through a D1 experience at Dartmouth, then...

Kelly Damphousse joins the show and immediately I knew our allotted time would not be enough. We dive into his history within the game of hockey, and he tells of how a young boy fell in love with the game whole-heartedly. That vey same young boy grew into a young man, and we talk about some finer points of life, including facing the decision to put aside his passion for something even greater: lov...

Steven Barnes talks about how he first came to fall in love with hockey, as a teenager on a Canadian trip, but expresses how it took a few more years until he was able to come into playing more regularly. He found himself finally at the helm of a hockey career when he was in his twenties, and quickly found himself staring at the barriers to entry that are faced by so many. He addressed it by the b...

On Never Far from Home today, Jeff and Erika Boike. This was a special show. We dive into a little storytelling with regards to how this husband and wife met, and how each of them first found hockey. Without much hesitation we dive into family. The two had three sons: Drew, Charlie, and Lewis. The family was taxed with one of the hardest hands to be dealt, and lost their son Charlie when he was 17...

Nick Bowins joined the show and we were able to go through a great range of tales. He got involved with the game at a young age, and we talk about what aspects of hockey he fell in love with over the years. Much of what he loved spurred him into creating "Working in hockey", a social media and online presence that sends out every posted hockey job each week. His foundation was the love of the game...

We step back in to the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for the sixth installment. Thomas Lorincz talks about his youth, growing up in Slovakia. We touch on family, sport, and how these things helped shape him into the man he is. He talks about how he ended up in Minnesota, and what it was like to really dive into ice hockey, finding the love of playing the game at, what some would call, "an older age". N...

We step away from the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for another episode after NFFH had the pleasure of representing in a tournament in Denver. Spencer Tscherpel speaks about a number of things, from his spark of hockey from a young age, to his growth in the passion of puck through his competitive days, and how he always remained connected, even when his competitive days were done. We speak on family, a...

We step away from the Minnesota Chronicles 2.0 for a few episodes after NFFH had the pleasure of representing in a tournament in Denver. Brad is the first guest from this tourney, and also the reason for us being there, as he captained a team. We talk about his hockey journey, from the Colorado Springs native finding the love of the sport, through his time playing some AA and AAA in his teens, up...

Mike Randolph joined the podcast as the fifth guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We head through a timeline that includes growing up in a large family, falling in love with the game of hockey, and playing competitively into his early twenties. Mike then talked about how he came into coaching and how important it was that his support staff, mostly his wife, was on board with his passion. Wit...

Dave Almquist joined the podcast as the fourth guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We dive into his tales of growing up in the Duluth area. He speaks of a poignant memory of being left on the sledding hill, and how that led him to hockey. We talk of family, both siblings and parents, and also the family you make in the locker rooms. Dave found success on the ice over the years, ended up play...

Alex Frecon joined the podcast as the third guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. The stories he shares stem beyond the game we love, and the rink community we are all lucky to be a part of. He shares his experience inside the game, never finding his own love for it at an early age. Alex then speaks of a certain friend who brought him back to hockey around his junior year of high school, and h...

Emily West joined the podcast as the second guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We took a trip all around her rink life. She was born into it, with a brother nine years older who loved the game, and she found herself chasing him around wanting to be like him. We go through her time in Colorado Springs as a youth player, finding her own love for the game. Her reflection on her career comes th...

Emma Sobieck joined the podcast as the first guest from the Minnesota Chronicles: 2.0. We dive into her stories, including growing up playing at the same rink the Mighty Ducks was shot at. SAhe talks about how certain coaches helped shape her intensity for the game, and eventually how she found herself behind the bench as well. Enjoy the many tales she shares, of family, love for the game, love fo...

The Oak Creek Kodiaks came on a very special episode. Coaches Chris Hagen (Episode 65), and Kyle Pastor (Episode 10) approached me about the idea of highlighting their team. They expressed how this squad had captured all the good the game of hockey has to offer, and wanted to share some of their experiences. It was a novelty, for Never Far from Home, but we endeavored to highlight the kids and the...

Graysen Cameron joined the show from Canada, and we wasted no time in jumping right to his timeline within the game. He was born into it, with a brother who was 10 years his elder who loved to play, but Graysen soon found his own passion for the game. We talk family dynamics, and how much his parents and siblings mean to the young man. We touch on his developing years, and some challenges that hel...

Lowen Epstein came on the show to talk about his odd connection to the rink. We delve deep into his rich love of sport, and the many ways he has connected to different games. Lowen played sports as a youth, graduated to broadcaster, and has always been a fan of a wide array of sporting worlds. Enjoy some tales wrapped in victories and celebrations, as well as some tribulations that led to growth....

Sara McClanahan joined the podcast, and we talk about her time growing up in Minnesota, falling in love with the game at different times, and the reasons that led her to find such a passion for hockey. She speaks to finding her own path within the game, and how she handled it over the many different years, in different roles. We go through her whole competitive youth hockey days, through college,...

On Never Far from Home today: Kelli Standekar! Kelli came on to the podcast, and shared about a wonderful timeline. Her stories span her youth where she found herself involved in numerous sports and activities, to her teenage years when she finally found the rink. We dive into some competition, and round it all out talking about her coaching arc as well. Enjoy the many tales she shares! https://ww...

Gabe Levin shares tales from his early days in southern California, falling in love with the game, to his time with DU. In between, there are some marvelous lessons he learned, from patience, to self-belief, to not listening to the doubters. Gabe shares some stories along the way, and talks about a parental duo that simply let him play the game he loved, with no extra pressure to succeed. Enjoy hi...

Jackie Wilson came on the podcast and shared stories from her playing days through her present situation, as an official. We explore her time within the game in different capacities, and how that has translated to life as well. She expresses her sentiments on staying within the moment, while continuing to chase goals and dreams. I hope you enjoy her many shared tales!      https://www.beautyunis.c...

Gib Mitchell came on the podcast and shared some wonderful tales. From growing up in New York, playing youth in numerous rinks, and eventually settling on secondary school in St. Lawrence. We hear tales of travel to Europe for a semester abroad, he shares about his time as a D1 athlete (a funny tale about playing for the women's team), and we finally come to how it was he found himself in Steamboa...

Adam Albert Joined the show after a few months of hearing all about it at work. He shares some funny tales from his years playing hockey, touching on many aspects of the game that will stay with him the rest of his life. We also get into a story on a very serious injury he had, and how he managed to bounce back from it. Enjoy the tales of an up and coming fireman, and a young man with a rich hocke...

Dave Leonardi came on the show and shared some incredible stories. You may know him by a different name: The Sign Man. He has been a season ticket member of the Philadelphia Flyers since 1972-73, and has become an icon of sorts, within the game. That stems even to the Great One himself, who Dave shares a great story on. His biggest fan has been his mother, who would share with everyone who would l...

Mikey Spencer joined the show after the two of us became acquainted through Team Tucker. We explore his timeline which includes youth hockey in Minnesota through his senior year of high school, to his quick transition into the coaching world. Mikey shares great stories about some of his favorite, and most influential, figures in the hockey world. Enjoy another great episode! https://www.beautyunis...